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Makoto Oda

オダ マコト

Oda Makoto

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1932-06-02 （Osaka）
Died
2007-07-30 （Tokyo） age 75
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Osaka (birthplace) → Tokyo (long-term residence and base of activities) → Boston (Harvard study)

Career

Occupations
novelist, peace activist, academic, essayist
Active Years
1951-2007
Affiliations
Co-founder of Beheiren (Citizens' League for Peace in Vietnam), Inaugural member of the Article 9 Association
Memberships
Beheiren (Citizens' League for Peace in Vietnam), Article 9 Association
Influenced By
Classical Greek philosophy, Postwar Japanese peace movements
Influenced
Generations of Japanese peace activists and writers

Education

University of Tokyo
Faculty of Letters / Classical Greek philosophy and literature
Country: Japan
Graduated from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Letters, majoring in classical Greek philosophy and literature.
Harvard University
Period: 1958-
Country: United States
Attended Harvard on a Fulbright Scholarship (1958).

Awards

Lotus Prize for Literature
1981
Work: Hiroshima
Organization: Afro-Asian Writers' Association
Result: 受賞
Kawabata Yasunari Prize
1998
Work: Aboji o Fumu (Stomping Father)
Organization: Kawabata Yasunari Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Asatte no Shuki (The Notebook of the Day After Tomorrow)

1951 essay/memoir

An early work based on experiences during World War II and the Korean War.

war experiencememory

Nandemo Mite yaro (I'll Go and See Everything)

1961 travelogue/essay

A bestseller based on budget travels through Europe and Asia on a dollar-a-day.

travelcross-cultural experience

Amerika

1962 novel

His first full-length novel, concerning America.

international relationscultural clash

Hiroshima

1980 non-fiction/reportage

A work not only about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan but also about Hopi Indians and Americans affected by nuclear testing.

nuclear weaponswar memoryvictim testimonies
Translations
  • English translation (1990)
  • Translations into French, Arabic, Italian, Korean and Russian

Aboji o Fumu (Stomping Father)

1998 novel

A novel concerning family and father figures; awarded the Kawabata Yasunari Prize.

familymemoryintergenerational relations

The Breaking Jewel

2003 novel

About Japanese forces on a South Pacific island facing an American invasion at the end of World War II (English translation published in 2003).

warsurvivalmoral dilemmas

Bibliography

  • Asatte no Shuki (The Notebook of the Day After Tomorrow)
  • Nandemo Mite yaro (I'll Go and See Everything)
  • Amerika
  • Hiroshima
  • Aboji o Fumu (Stomping Father)
  • The Breaking Jewel

Translations of Works

  • Hiroshima — English translation (1990) and translations into multiple languages
  • The Breaking Jewel — English translation (2003)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear, politically engaged essayistic stylea narrative that moves between reportage and fiction
Recurring Motifs
war and memorypeace and anti-war activismtravel and cross-cultural understandingvoices of victims

Health

  • stomach cancer
    2007年まで
    Affected his health in later years and led to his death in 2007.

Legacy

Makoto Oda was known not only for his literary work but also for his peace activism—co-founding Beheiren and advocating for Article 9. He had a significant influence on postwar Japanese war memory.

Archives

  • Official Makoto Oda website and related archives
  • University archives and private collections (details unspecified)

In Popular Culture

  • Featured as an Asian Hero by Time magazine, receiving international recognition.
  • After his death, memorial peace marches were held, symbolizing continuation of his activism.

Trivia

  • Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Harvard in 1958.
  • Won the Lotus Prize from the Afro-Asian Writers' Association in 1981.
  • Received the Kawabata Yasunari Prize in 1998.
  • Died of stomach cancer in 2007; memorial peace marches were held after his death.